Chanwook spun around the winged demon, giving him no room to retreat. Every strike of his twinblade exploded in a cloud of blood, bursting from the wounds of Death Icon.
"What’s going on?" Seojun thought to himself. "Why can’t I move? This makes no sense. I rember this hunter—a diocre fighter. But now... I can’t fly away?"
A twinblade—a deadly weapon in the hands of a swift warrior. Chanwook swung it with deadly grace, its sharp ends lashing out in all directions, landing every hit with brutal efficiency.
His flawless form and blinding speed shocked Minho and Reina, but more than that, they were stunned that their comrade had sohow recovered.
Just recently, the dbay reported to the head physician that Chanwook was almost entirely immobilized, unable to speak or move, barely alive without constant assistance.
And now, here he was, fighting at their side.
"Well now, you miserable demon," Chanwook sneered, lips curled in a daring grin. "Feels bad, doesn’t it? To finally feel the pain you inflicted on my fallen friends?"
"You fool!" Death Icon snarled, pushing himself back and grabbing the hunter by his arms. "Unbelievable. How did you recover so fast? I was sure I killed you... but clearly, I didn’t finish the job. It makes sense now. You stink."
Chanwook smirked, kicked the demon away, and summoned his blood-forged armor.
"Looks like you caught on."
"W-what?!" Minho stared in disbelief. "Kuroen?! But how?! Chanwook, explain this—right now!"
"Hey, hey, Ghost. No need to shout nas on the battlefield. Try to show so manners."
"Damn it, this isn’t the ti for jokes!"
"From now on, I’m Amur Tiger. Look around. We don’t have ti for chatter. We need to eliminate these scumbags while we have a chance."
Minho felt a rising irritation. The man before him didn’t seem like the Chanwook he once knew—he was darker, more intense.
"Forget it," Minho readied his axes. "We have the numbers. Amur Tiger, Red Fox—we regroup with Team Kusanagi, now!"
"Huh?" Chanwook tilted his head. "To that half-demon? Why do we care if he dies to his own kind? Denied."
"Enough of your tantrums! That’s a direct order from the Association. If we keep splitting up, we’ll die alone!"
"Look at you, Ghost. Acting like a real leader now. Not so easy to keep control when Lone Wolf’s out cold, huh? Alright, alright, I’ll stop ssing around. Do as you wish."
"Move!" Minho commanded, and the trio sprinted down the street.
Death Icon once again blocked their path, wings spread wide.
"Oh no, you don’t. Think you can just run? You fools forget what you’re up against. Fools like you don’t even realize when you’re already dead."
"Still not giving up, huh?" Chanwook scoffed, tightening his grip on his weapon. "Kid, I wouldn’t mind finishing you off right here and now... But you know what? Screw it!"
Massive wings erupted from Amur Tiger’s back, blooming like a rose in sunlight.
"Wings...?" Minho blinked, unsettled. "Amur Tiger... I can’t recognize you anymore. What have you beco?"
"It doesn’t matter. What matters—is the enemy!"
Chanwook soared straight into the air, colliding with the winged demon mid-flight. Claws and steel clashed with a tallic shriek, followed by flurries of airborne strikes.
"Go! I’ll hold off these two demon freaks!"
Minho and Reina, still reeling from the shock, finally dashed past the chaos.
From afar, a grim chuckle echoed. Zhuan Ren scratched his head.
"Well, well," he smirked. "Like little mice in a cage, scurrying around, looking for a way out. Running from one predator straight into the jaws of another—hoping, what, that the other side’s sohow brighter? What a sha. Not that it matters anymore."
Slowly, he began walking toward Team Kusanagi, still locked in battle with Osiris.
"You’re dood either way," he went on. "I’m afraid my mist seeps into your bodies far too quickly—airborne route. Even if you can see its shape from a distance, that white fog doesn’t reveal the true extent of the contamination. Every tiny particle—viruses, invisible as matter itself—leaves no trace behind."
High above, Chanwook had already mastered flight.
"What an unmatched sensation! I always suspected that birds must feel their wings the sa way I feel my own arms. And now, using them for the first ti... it just makes sense. Instinctive. Natural."
"Enough with the chatter!" Seojun lunged forward, claws and fangs bared. "You’re really getting on my nerves. Don’t you ever shut up? Doesn’t your mouth get tired?"
"You know," Chanwook smirked, "I’ve always wondered... Who’s really behind the face of the great demon? Not so great now, are you? Can’t even handle ."
"You hunters sure have guts—resorting to your old tricks again, the sa ones you profited from for years! Keep this up and the world will see you for what you are—morally bankrupt, nothing more than monsters in uniform. You know what? There’s no going back for you now."
"Why should I care?" Chanwook lunged straight at him, shattering a few of the demon’s claws. "I gained this power for one reason only—so I could kill you."
The fire in Chanwook’s eyes made Seojun falter.
"Tch... You humans really are hopeless fools."
anwhile, on the other side of the street, Team Kusanagi was barely holding on.
Ming, Blade, Ryu, Tempest—they could hardly stand, let alone breathe.
I had drained the last of my strength. My armor was flaking off my body, dry and brittle, leaving behind a trail of crusted blood.
Before us, the mighty enemy Osiris was breathing heavily from exhaustion. But unlike us, he was still standing tall on both feet.
"How...?" Blade whispered, wiping sweat from his face. "How is he still standing...? It’s not possible, is it!"
Osiris chuckled, stroking his white mustache.
"A battle of attrition, was it? What a joke. Now I see what you’re truly worth without your fairy-tale powers—a pack of amateurs who can barely hold their own against weaklings. And look—my arm’s already beginning to regenerate, the wound’s closed. Seems I’m not entirely... pure either. Such is Mother Nature, I suppose. She’s blessed with strength even I can’t fully control."
"Old man..." I exhaled, lifting my heavy, deadened gaze. "Shut the hell up already. Your smugness is getting real old. Power, strength, will... Give our ears a damn break from your endless nonsense."
"Lee Kihyun, is it? Tough one, though you look like a scrawny little thing. Nature made you strong—but not smart. You fought well... So I suppose I’ll grant you all a quick death."
He stepped toward Blade, who was on his knees, legs and arms too weak to resist.
"Hey—hey, wait!" I shouted, desperately dragging myself forward. "Where do you think you’re going?! Don’t you dare. Not this... not now!"
Blade was visibly shaken. The look in his eyes radiated pure fear—from which others knew they were the next.
"No... please!" Blade barely managed to whisper. "Don’t kill ... Please, stop. Why ?!"
Osiris grabbed his neck with his only hand and lifted his body into the air. Clenching tightly, he could feel the hunter’s neck bones begin to crack under the pressure.
"Don’t... kill ..."
I scread, crawling toward them. My vision burned with rage... and sorrow.
Blade’s face turned purple. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe. Osiris’s grip only tightened.
Ryu cried out in desperation. Yeonghee wept. Ming was frozen in shock.
Then—crack.
Blade’s neck snapped. His eyes popped out. His body fell limp.
My comrade... was dead.
Silence filled my ears—followed by that piercing, relentless ringing I’d co to know all too well, the sa sound that always ca after the death of a comrade.
My head drooped. Hope faded.
"We’re dood..." Ryu muttered through clenched teeth.
Yeonghee covered her mouth, trying not to vomit.
And just a mont later, as Osiris prepared to toss aside Blade’s lifeless body, a thunderous gunshot ripped through the air—striking his arm with deadly precision.
"What?!" he gasped.
His arm was gone. Severed.
Whipping his head around toward the low rooftops, he caught sight of a massive sniper rifle aid at him—and behind it, dozens more barrels locking in.
I turned too, and my eyes widened. One figure stood out.
The shot had co from Harin. Standing beside her were the rest of the garrison soldiers, finally arriving as reinforcents. They surrounded us from above, weapons raised, ready to unleash hell on the rciless enemy.
"Harin..."
A strong, commander’s voice rang out:
"ALL UNITS, FIRE!"
Hundreds of bullets rained down. Osiris’s body was riddled. But he escaped. He vanished into buildings, running along the walls.
"SHOOTERS, PURSUE HIM! ELIMINATE AT ANY COST!"
"Yes, sir!" dozens of soldiers shouted, leaping into pursuit.
Luckily, this district had caras and aerial drones. The demon wouldn’t hide for long.
Harin’s team rushed to us, helping us up.
"Team Kusanagi..." one soldier said. "You held your ground well. Looks like we were a bit too late... Thank God at least so of you are still alive."
I was still in shock. But I only had one concern.
"Yeonghee..."
A soldier helped reach her. She sat motionless, eyes empty.
"Yeonghee... It’s over. We’re going ho."
With trembling hands, I barely managed to touch her soft cheeks. The mont she felt my palm, she stirred—and tears began to stream down her eyes.
"Kihyun..." she whispered. Then she wept.
Harin watched from above, silently reloading.
"Looks like... we made it."
Footsteps approached. Minho and Reina arrived. Sora followed behind.
"You guys okay?!" Minho shouted, spotting .
He didn’t wait for a report. He rushed over.
"Prodigy! You alright?! Can you talk?!"
"Yeah... We lost Osiris... I’m sorry."
"Forget him. You’re alive. That’s what counts."
"Kusanagi... took a loss."
"Kihyun..."
Chanwook descended, wings flaring. Every gun aid at him.
"Whoa, whoa!" he shouted. "I get it, alright? But no need to freak out like that."
"Amur Tiger?!" Minho barked. "Weapons down! Chanwook, what are you doing here?!"
"We’ve got bigger problems. I’d say we’ve had no luck at all with our opponents. The katana wielder... and the boss himself. They’re here."
"N-no way...!"
Lee Yeonho.
His erald eyes burned with demonic fla. He ca over.
And he wasn’t alone.
Seojun. Zhuan Ren. Altair.
All of Umbra stood before us.
"Tch. Fighting in cramped quarters again," Crimson Reaper muttered.
"Perfect," Minho sighed. "All the bastards... back together again."
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